True Colors
by Tiiulicious
Summary: AU. Their marriage was over according to her, but he will do anything to get her back.
1. Chapter 1

This is my new SV fic with a little Wadia and Lark thrown in. In this Lauren is Vaughn's younger sister and she and Sydney get along famously. I hope you like it.

Plot: Sydney and Vaughn are divorced and she hates him, but he wants her back.

True Colors

Chapter 1

"Well Nadia, you do know how to show your sister a good time. There is nothing in the world I'd rather do than spend the day with my ex-husband and his bimbo girlfriend." Sydney Bristow complained rather loudly. She had done that since she had been coerced into coming to this thing.

"This is Lauren's book release party and she would never forgive you if you missed it. Yes, your ex husband is going to be here with the airhead Alice and it must suck seeing them together but just zone them out. You're not here for him, you're here for Lauren who just happens to be Mike's sister." Nadia reassured as the two searched for Lauren through the masses.

"There she is, let's go congratulate her before the swarm of shutterbugs get to her. Besides, you don't need to talk to Mike, he might not show up today," Nadia concluded and started dragging Sydney to where the tall blonde woman was chatting with some of the guest.

"He's a lot of things, a cheating, heartbreaking, bimbo dating jackass but he's never missed anything that was important to his sister. He's here, I can smell it. My skin just got the creeps, that's a sure sign that he's here." Sydney replied slightly bitterly and scanned the room for any sign for her former husband.

"Well, good that you're not bitter or anything. That sunny disposition of yours is always uplifting," Nadia quipped as the twosome reached Lauren.

"There's the woman of the hour. You look marvelous and you got your book published, congrats," Nadia said hugging Lauren with a huge smile on her lips. Sydney rolled her eyes; it was easy for Nadia to smile. She was happily married to a guy that didn't get up and go to bed with the first cheap floozy he came across. After four years of wedded bliss, she and Eric were still acting like newlyweds and that was sort of nauseating, they barely ever came up for air when placed in the same room.

"Thanks Nadia. I'm so happy right now. Plus can I tell you a secret? I think Julian's going to propose tonight. He's taking me out for dinner and it's very hus hus." Lauren beamed looking the very definition of a woman who had everything she had ever wanted.

Sydney briefly hugged her former sister-in-law and congratulated before leaving Lauren and Nadia to catch up and gossip. She needed a stiff drink right about now.

"Sydney, you came," said a voice that belonged to her ex husband Michael Vaughn. Sydney ignored it and continued walking while chanting on the mantra 'drop dead' under her breath.

Sydney and Vaughn had been next-door neighbors in their childhood who had hanged out a lot during their formative years because her sister Nadia and his sister Lauren were best friends. She had had a big crush on him for years that he mostly ignored until their senior year of High School when they had been chosen as Prom king and queen. After that, they had been a couple and gotten married after college seven years ago. Life had been pretty good until 9 months ago she had caught him cheating on her.

"Syd, stop. I wanna talk to you," Michael said walking behind her and determined to talk to her. He knew that his ex was highly emotional and mean when cornered, so just getting her attention tonight would be winning half the battle.

"Why do you want to talk me? I have nothing to say to you and I would drink poison than to waste my time listening to you," Sydney said angrily and turned to face him with her hands on her hips.

"I was a stupid, self-absorbed jackass who didn't appreciate what he had. I know I hurt you so much and I don't deserve your forgiveness." Michael said taking her hands onto his. She quickly pulled her hands away with a look of annoyance.

"Are you waiting for me to disagree with what you said? I'm not going to, you're an ass and an ingrate who I never wish to see again. Where's the bimbo tonight by the way? Did she find another man to leech on?" Sydney said in a nonchalant tone and swept her gaze through the room to see if his girlfriend was nearby.

"Me and Alice are over; she was a big mistake that I'll regret for the rest of my life. I want you back Sydney, I never realized what I had before I lost it. Say you can give me a second chance?" Michael pleaded, giving Sydney his best lost puppy expression.

"You betrayed me, you took me for granted and you thought you could go to bed with anyone wearing a skirt. I don't trust you and without trust there is nothing. You can be as sorry as you want, but we are not getting back together. I'm moving on with my life, you were the one who threw away 11 years together," Sydney pointed out and Michael felt like her eyes were staring a hole right through him.

"Trust me, I will do everything in my power to make this right between us. I can be that same Michael you fell in love with and again sweep you off your feet. I will find my way back to you. You came tonight and I know you feel the connection between us, something that strong will never die," Michael said surely and matched the look of intensity that was in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but this is nothing short of hilarious. When I think you can't sink any lower, you come up with something totally laughable and preposterous. I came tonight because of Lauren, you know your sister. She is the only Vaughn that I will ever show any interest on and there is nothing you can do about that. And as far as the concept of getting back together, no way in hell. There is nothing you can do that will change how I feel about you. Actually, I'd rather sleep with Osama Bin Laden than ever stoop to being your fool again. You can't use and abuse me anymore, so don't waste your breathe," Sydney scoffed and walked away with a feeling of satisfaction lingering in her stomach.

"You'll see Syd, we'll be together and I can be the man you want me to be," Michael shouted to the retreating back of the brunette woman who he still loved. He was also sure that Sydney loved him back as much as he did, she was too angry to see it yet, but she would soon.

To Be Continued… 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Michael was satisfied with his talk with Sydney, she might not have agreed to get back together but at least she hadn't wished painful death upon him, which was a first in their conversations since they had split. He was sure that once she saw how much he had changed during all of this and that he loved her deeply, she would be able to forgive him. Now he needed to find his sister and congratulate.

A three-year age difference aside, Michael had always been close to his sister Lauren, but now that she lived half of the year in London and the other half in Los Angeles they didn't see each other nearly as often as he would have liked. He blamed her British boyfriend Julian Lazarey for that and didn't get why they couldn't just live in the States. It was not like he had a job or anything, all he did was live off of his dad's 500 million inheritance and some half assed 'career' as tabloid fodder for the British press.

"Darling, I've missed you!" said a voice from behind Michael and as he turned around a petite and blonde body belonging to his sister collided forcefully into his.

"Since when you call people 'darling' sis? Is the British boy wonder turned you fully into a limey instead of a regular Yank like me?" Michael teased lifting her slightly from the ground.

"Normal people say 'hi' or 'I missed you', you know when they are reunited with their sister they haven't seen in months." Lauren teased back and ignored his barb about Julian.

"Hi sis, I've missed you. Better?" Michael continued in the same teasing tone and causing Lauren to roll her eyes.

"You haven't changed a bit. Nice to see some things never change Big Bro. Have you talked to dad recently by the way? He's coming a bit later, as soon as mom leaves and I think he wants to talk to you about something," Lauren said more seriously. Bill Vaughn and Olivia Reed-Vaughn had divorced five years prior and it was common knowledge that they couldn't be in the same room with each other without some serious fireworks beginning. They needed a lawyer just to pick birthday presents for Lauren and Michael together and they even coordinated their coming tonight; Olivia had the first 2 hours and Bill the last 2 hours just so they could avoid each other's company.

"I saw mom yesterday, but I haven's been in touch with dad that recently. I'll talk to him when he comes. But I have good news baby sis, me and Sydney are going to reconcile," Michael said surely and didn't notice the look of skepticism in Lauren's blue eyes.

"Are you talking about Sydney, as in your ex-wife Sydney, the one who burned every piece of clothing you owned and hired legal eagle Robert Lindsay to take you to the cleaners?" Lauren noted with curiosity. If her big brother was able to get Sydney back after cheating on her, she would be seriously surprised.

"Yes, she just doesn't know it yet. I'm going to show her that I'm not the same scumbag who cheated on her and I am finally able to settle down with her and have a family. I will make her fall in love with me all over again," Michael explained and wanted to test some of his ideas on Lauren.

"Big bro, you might be incredibly talented in several fields, but relationship dynamics isn't one of them. Let me explain something about the female psyche for you, most of us women folk won't forgive cheating and lying just like that, I know that if Julian ever cheated on me, I wouldn't take him back under any circumstances. It's highly unlikely that she can ever trust you again and honestly I can't blame her." Lauren told Michael with honesty. He needed to be brought back to earth from this fantasy that he had concocted in his head.

"Aren't you supposed to my sister? Isn't it in the good sister handbook that you have to support your brother? Or are you just moody because dear old Julian isn't here on one of the biggest nights of your life? " Michael asked annoyed. She could at least be a little more supportive of his idea.

"Mike, I love you dearly, but your misery isn't getting my company tonight. Julian's in customs in LAX and should be here shortly for your information. I have to go meet the press now, but call me tomorrow and I'll take you to lunch. Take care, darling," Lauren stated simply and kissed him on the cheek before parting.

--

"Syd, Syd," someone called and Sydney ignored the caller in the belief that it was Michael. Only after she looked behind her and noticed that it was her brother -in-law Eric Weiss who was calling for her.

"Finally, I thought that I had turn into a long-distance runner before I could catch up with you. You look lovely, by the way," Eric said laughing and gave Sydney a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry, I thought you were Michael." Sydney said regretfully and gave a kiss of her own on his cheek.

"Wow, I've never been mistaken for him ever before, but I'm kinda liking it. Say it again!" Eric joked and winked at Sydney.

"Thankfully you're nothing like Michael. Being like him is not something anyone should aspire to be," Sydney said with a scoff. Eric was everything Mike wasn't and Nadia was one lucky woman.

"Shifting the awkward conversation about your ex to talking about my wife, so where she? I just got here straight from work and I haven't spotted my beloved yet," Eric asked hoping to get Sydney to lay off the Mike bashing that was her current favorite sport.

"Last I saw, she was chatting away with Lauren, but we can go find her. I want to talk to Lauren about something anyway," Sydney responded and gestured to Eric to follow her.

To be continued…

Next chapter: Sydney wants something from Lauren and Michael begins his quest to get Syd back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I that's Nadia. I'd know that va va voom body anywhere," Eric whispered to Sydney's ear with a laugh and pointed to the other side of the large room where Nadia was indeed standing by the buffet table. Lauren was nearby as well, talking to a man in his early 50's, most likely a journalist.

"I'll see you later Sydney, that buffet table to looking good right about now. I'm dying to get some of those cucumber sandwiches and my wife is looking too good to be left alone with these literary freaks," Eric quipped and left to where her sister was standing.

Sydney rolled her eyes as she watched Eric and Nadia share a passionate lip lock. She so didn't need to see that and made a beeline for her former sister-in-law.

"….'True Colors' is based on my experiences being a 20something woman with more than her share of family baggage," Lauren explained carefully for the 50th time today. She loved promoting her book, but these reporters could at least come up with some new questions for a change. Lauren was happy to notice Sydney making her way to her, meaning that she now had a good excuse to end this tedious interview.

"Thank you for your interest for my book. I'm sorry to end this so abruptly, but I need to talk to my sister-in-law about something." Lauren said regretfully to the man and greeted Sydney with a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm sorry Lauren that I haven't been keeping in touch that much lately, but it's just the divorce and I didn't want to put you in an awkward position, he's your brother after all," Sydney said before Lauren could get a word edgewise. She felt like she should just get it over with and then she could ask Lauren for a favor.

"Well, I could have phoned also, but I figured you needed a rest from all things Vaughn. Now that all this messiness is over, you don't have any excuse not to call or visit." Lauren replied with a knowing wink. She was looking for an opening to be able to ask about Mike's insistence that he and Sydney were getting back together. She was curious but didn't want to come across as a Nosey Nelly, as Julian in his delectable British accent sometimes accused her of being.

"Thanks for sending me a copy of your book, I'm really proud of you Lauren. I love the way you write, but I need to know how much of Serena is based on me? If she's me, then we need to talk about how you see me!" Sydney said in a mock annoyed voice while studying the blonde's expression, Lauren must have thought she wasn't going to read it.

"Well, it's sort of based on you, but I took some character traits you have and exaggerated them for the purposes of fiction. Writers do it all the time, besides I didn't write myself as perfect, Lori is as flawed as the next person," Lauren said not getting that Sydney was only joking, wanting to explain some of the characterizations she had made about the other woman.

"I'm kidding, I don't mind. Not everyday can you say that you were inspirations to a best-selling book. By the way, is your book editor here tonight? I remember you raving about him when you got the book deal and I'd like to meet him," Sydney said hoping to mask the real reason she wanted to meet him, he would be perfect way to show Michael that she was over him.

"Yeah, Will's here. He's a really great guy, without him my book would have never been published. There he is, see that tall blonde man down there," Lauren said waving at the direction where the man was standing. He noticed Lauren's gesture and made his way to the two women.

"Hi handsome stranger, this is my friend Sydney Bristow and this fabulous guy is Will Tippin." Lauren said doing the introduction and noticed the look of interest on both of their faces.

"Nice to meet you, Lauren's been telling me a lot of things about you," Sydney said in her best effort to be flirty. She hoped she still knew how to flirt and talk to a guy who wasn't her friend. Eric hadn't been much help in that department since not only was he married to her sister, but treated Sydney like a little sister.

"Good things I hope. I'm afraid my knowledge of you is limited to your name and that you are very beautiful," Will replied also in a flirty way, he liked her already but Lauren had told him about Sydney's messy divorce in confidence that he had promised not to repeat to anyone, even Sydney herself.

--

Michael was impatiently waiting for the person on the phone to answer. This was the third time he had called today and still there was no answer. He absolutely hated it when people who had cell phones never answered them. This person was pivotal in his plan to win Sydney back.

He also noticed how Sydney was talking to his sister and some guy that might have been Lauren's book editor Will Tippin, but he wasn't entirely sure. He had met him briefly, but the guy had been so uninteresting that he had barely noticed he was in the room. Plus he was so desperately been drooling over his sister in a way that Michael found pathetic and kinda sad. True, he didn't like Julian Lazarey very much, but at least he had a set of cojones and that was something Tippin didn't have.

"Finally, I've been calling for ages. Were you asleep or something? Anyway remember what we talked about yesterday, I need you to do it now. You got the address? Good, have them delivered to there in a few hours. Thanks a lot, I'll owe you big time," Michael said to whomever he was talking to. Sydney would not be able to flat-out ignore him after the delivery. Things were looking up right now.

To be continued… 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Miss Bristow, do you want to dance," Will asked a little awkwardly, but she found it cute and agreed to go to the dance floor with him. Will certainly didn't have Michael's charm, which could sweep a person off her feet, but wasn't driven by his ego in the same way as her ex husband was as far as she could observe and that was a good thing.

"Sure, I'd love to," Sydney smiled and noticed the excited look on Lauren's face, she didn't object rather was eagerly pushing the twosome to the dance floor with satisfaction. They would make a great couple in her opinion, she needed to get over Michael and Will needed something to do other than burying himself into manuscripts.

"Lauren! I thought you where a writer, not a matchmaker," Michael said coming behind her and looking at her in that familiar big brother kinda way Lauren knew very well. She signed and turned around, preparing to be scolded.

"You're divorced; she wants nothing to do with you. I think Syd would like you more if you would give her some space, she might even start missing you. The more you appear, pushing your way back into her life, the more she's going to hate you." Lauren said matter-of-factly, she was tired of Michael's attitude.

"I'm sorry, I just want Sydney back so badly. I guess I always thought that she would forgive me for anything and towards the end, I treaded her like a doormat. We were so good together, I know we can still be," Michael said and looking at where Syd was dancing with Will, having a good time.

"I know you love her and she still loves you, but there is too much water under the bridge at least right now. Now, moving from you moping back to me, I wanna take you to lunch at the Ivy tomorrow. I have some big news and I hope you'll be happy for me," Lauren said a little hesitantly, really wanting her big brother to be there for her this time.

"Are you and Julian getting married? I wouldn't marry the boy wonder if I was you, I don't think he'll make you happy in the long run," Michael said looking directly into Lauren's blue eyes, the ones that mirrored his own green ones.

"Darling no offence, but you are the last person I'd take marriage advice from. Besides you don't need to worry, he hasn't asked me to marry him, not yet anyway," Lauren noted irritated, she was 27 years old and didn't need her big brother telling her what to do.

"If you're not getting married, what is it then? You know me, I will pester until you tell me, I'm way too inpatient to wait to tomorrow." Michael laughed stopping the waitress and taking to glasses of champagne and offering Lauren a glass.

"I'm pregnant." Lauren noted simply, giggling when she noticed Michael had taken a sip of champagne at the same time and was now coughing looking horrified.

--

"I must confess that I know more about you than just your name," Will said when they had been twirling on the dance floor for a few moments in silence.

"I already kinda knew that one, you've worked with Lauren for the past year and she can't keep a secret to save her life. She has very loose lips," Sydney laughed and didn't actually mind Will knowing, at least she didn't have to explain her complicated history to him.

"For what its worth, but I think he was a dumb jerk to cheat on you. Lauren even agrees," Will said honestly and really meant it.

"Do you like Lauren? I mean more than just a regular client, because you can't stop talking about her. It kinda reminds me of how I was before Michael and I became a couple." Sydney asked, really wanting to know the answer.

"I know it's pathetic, but yes I do really like her. I'm almost thirty and can't tell her that I like her, how sad is that? I know she has a boyfriend and I can't compete with a suave British millionaire. I'm rambling, I'm sorry." Will apologized. Here he was dancing with a gorgeous woman and he couldn't shut up about another woman.

"I think its sweet. It's nice than I'm not the only one who wants things they can't have." Sydney smiled at him, not really minding that her dance companion had feelings for another woman, now they could mope together about their misfortune. She had needed someone like, a person who had a broken hart. Almost everyone in her life were married or in a happy relationship, they couldn't understand. Even her dad, who was the most unhappy divorced person she had known, was now a happily married person with a new wife half his age. That naturally would make most men happy and Jack Bristow was no exception.

"I know what my impossible dream is, but what's yours. Sorry, that was probably too personal of a question, you don't need to answer it. I'll just shut up now," Will said offering a bashful smile to the stunning brunette he was dancing with.

"I want Michael back the way he was when we were newlyweds. The sweet, caring, empathetic, loving, loyal and mine, he was the perfect man until he became a big shot nightclub owner with scantily clad women throwing themselves at him. That's impossible since I don't have a time turner. Michael was completely different before all the hype his club got and he started believing he was all that," Sydney said with a sign and forced a smile on her ruby lips as a way not to come across as pathetic as she felt.

"I guess that's how we men are, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and we don't know how good we have it made until we've lost it. Lauren told me about your 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' phase, but do you still hate him as much that you did when his cheating was exposed?" Will asked, now more comfortably as Sydney indeed wanted to talk about this.

"I mean I hate him, I want him to suffer and burn in hell, but I still love him. I can't shut out 11 years we spent together, I've tried but even burning all of his clothes didn't make me as happy as I would have thought. I don't want to turn into one of those bitter ex-wife's, who live for hurting their ex." Sydney said and wanted to continue, but was interrupted by Michael who had cut in between her and Will and was now twirling Sydney on the dance floor leaving the confused looking Will to leave the dance floor.

To be continued….

Next chapter: Michael and Sydney talk while something is delivered to Syd.


End file.
